The study, which you can download via BCBusiness.ca, is the first-ever survey of local marketers in B.C.

Here are four stats from the study that caught my attention.

1. 80% of BC marketers get their marketing news from LinkedIn

In the past couple of years, LinkedIn has transformed itself from just another social network to a content powerhouse. It’s no wonder that marketers in Metro Vancouver are taking notice.

LinkedIn Today does a great job of aggregating news by topic and industry based on what your professional network is already sharing — an important curation tool given the amount of content being produced everyday. The addition of the Influencer program on the site last year gives LinkedIn users another compelling reason to check the site regularly.

Once upon a time, marketing was all about who has the loudest voice. Buy the most newspaper ads and you’ll likely get the biggest market share. Use the largest newswire to release your latest public release and you have the public’s ears.

But then something happened. Customers started tuning out ads. Brands started creating their own content. And people, just in general, started doubting brands.

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending FP Reach at the Vancouver Convention Centre. FP Reach — one of the many Social Media Week Vancouver events — is a three-city tour that connects small and medium businesses, marketing experts, and successful entrepreneurs sharing the latest marketing trends, business strategies, and best practices. The event brought out some of Vancouver’s (and North America’s) leading thought leaders in media, both traditional and digital.

The highlight was the energetic keynote delivered by author and social media marketer Gary Varnerchuk. My notes are below, but here are some high-level key takeaways:

Content is still king, and you are probably not creating enough quality content. Bottom line: Create remarkable content, and do it consistently and frequently.

While advertising still can play a role in the marketing cycle, earned media and public relations are powerful tools that can help your business get to the next level.

Authenticity isn’t just a buzz word — it’s something you need to strive for in your content, in social media, and when talking to journalists.

Traditional media isn’t dead, and ignoring them is a short-sighted strategy. While the industry is currently experiencing many changes, they are quickly adapting and experimenting.

Here are some more specific notes from the different FPReach sessions.

The meetup’s panel, which consisted of Rethink’s Leah Gregg, Capulet Communications’ Theo Lamb, and Eat Street’s Lima Al-Azzeh, discussed what it’s like to build and grow a community online.

Based on the tips that the panel shared, here are eight skills (in addition to sending a tweet) that you need to thrive as a community manager.

Research skills

Community management is about building communities where they currently hang out. Part of your job as a community manager is to figure out what platforms your communities gravitate toward and then ensure that you have presence there. Although it’s tempting to join emerging platforms like Google+ and Pinterest, you have to determine if it makes sense for your organization to be there.

My knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is fairly basic, but I found Chris’ talk informative and helpful. He communicated his points such that regular marketers would grasp them without dumbing down the content.

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About the author

Kelvin "KC" Claveria is a marketer from Vancouver, B.C. He currently work for a software company, managing all aspects of its social media presence and its corporate blog. A social media enthusiast, KC loves to read, blog and take random Instagram photos. You can follow KC on Twitter at @kcclaveria.